


Lightning Lines

by incorrectbatfam



Series: Bluepulse Week 2020 [7]
Category: DCU (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bluepulse Week 2020, Fluff, Groundhog Day, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Time Loop
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24956005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incorrectbatfam/pseuds/incorrectbatfam
Summary: AU where you and your soulmate are stuck in a time loop until you fall in love.(Bluepulse Week 2020 – Day 7: Free Day)
Relationships: Bart Allen/Jaime Reyes
Series: Bluepulse Week 2020 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1798045
Comments: 4
Kudos: 104





	Lightning Lines

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lindenrosetps](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lindenrosetps/gifts).
  * Inspired by [if i could make days last forever](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11656734) by [bartallen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bartallen/pseuds/bartallen). 
  * Inspired by [you can hear it in the silence](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18575722) by [elsaclack](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elsaclack/pseuds/elsaclack). 



> Ending off Bluepulse Week 2020 with the longest one-shot I've ever written.
> 
> Also gifted to @lindenrosetps for letting me beat their joke half to death

“What did one orphan say to the other?”

Bart watched as Kon glanced around the common area as he waited for one of the team members to answer.

“What?” the speedster asked, amused.

The Kryptonian was already giggling as he answered, “Robin, get in the Batmobile!”

The entire room erupted in laughter save for one displeased Tim Drake. Cassie knocked over her drink, spilling orange juice all over the table and floor.

“Shoot!” she exclaimed. “Bart, get me a paper towel.”

“On it!”

Bart zipped to the kitchen and returned with the entire roll. Cassie thanked him as she tore off large wads to sop up the mess. Tim and Jaime lifted their case files and homework respectively to give her space.

Tim wound up dropping his papers in the puddle anyway when his phone startled him.

“Change of plans,” he said. “I know I promised a chill hangout but Nightwing needs us on recon. Suit up and meet at the zeta tubes in five.”

Following orders to a T, Bart raced to the locker rooms and back in the blink of an eye, only to see that Blue Beetle had beaten him there. 

Jaime jokingly scoffed, “You and your need to change. This is why I have my costume fused to me.”

“Your costume fused itself to you,” he reminded, using the armor’s outstretched metal wings as an armrest. “Plus, I’m pretty sure Robin sleeps in his costume. It’s practically fused to him too.”

Jaime snorted. “Yeah, in the worst way possible. Pretty sure it’s part of his skin.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re comparing my state-of-the-art Bat Tech to your parasitic alien scarab,” Tim said, entering the room.

“No,” Jaime said the same time Bart said, “Yes.”

Tim shot them a trademarked Bat-Glare. Once everyone had gathered around, Tim read off their assignments.

“Nightwing and Batman recently discovered a new warehouse purchased by the Light and they need us to scope out what’s in it. Wonder Girl, you and I are gonna hack into their servers and see what files we can pull up. Superboy, you’re on standby with Miss Martian—she’ll meet us there. Static is at home base. Kid Flash and Blue Beetle, you’re on the perimeter. Stick together, take out any guards. Are we all clear?” Tim looked to the crew.

“Aye aye, captain!” Bart saluted. He turned to Jaime. “Did I say it right?”

“If you’re gonna be referencing Spongebob the whole time I want a partner change.”

“Aw,” Bart elbowed him playfully, “you know you love it.”

“You know,” Kid Flash said as he speed-kicked a bad guy in the ribs, “bees can see colors in the ultraviolet spectrum. That means they have, like, their own rainbow that we can’t see.”

“ _ Ese _ , we’re on a mission,” Blue Beetle said, aiming his sonic cannon at another bad guy. 

“I’m just saying,” he landed a flurry of punches, “Bees probably have their own Picasso made of, I dunno, honey or whatever and no one other than them would ever know.”

Kid Flash vibrated as a hail of bullets rocketed towards him, feeling the slight tickle as he phased through them. 

As Blue Beetle knocked out the last one, he said, “Red Robin wants us to rendezvous at the East gates.”

To which Kid Flash shouted, “Race you there!”

He zoomed off, relishing the way the air cooled as it became the wind rushing through his hair. In his peripheral vision, he saw Blue Beetle, wings outstretched like he was one with the night sky. Silver light bounced off the armor, giving almost an ethereal shimmer that took the speedster’s breath away. 

His foot caught on a jagged rock. The speedster stumbled. He fell and skidded forward like a race car spinning out of control. His body rubbed against the sand so hard it might as well have been asphalt. Holes burned through the yellow gloves as he caught himself until he unceremoniously rolled to a stop.

“IMPULSE!”

The speedster groaned as he pulled himself off the ground. 

He cracked a smile to his friend, saying, “Wrong hero name, Blue.”

“ _ No me importa. _ ” Blue Beetle landed next to him and helped him up. “Are you okay?”

The armor retracted down to his neck and Kid Flash saw the gleam of concern in Jaime’s amber eyes.

“I’m fine, Blue, just–” 

Pain shot up his leg as soon as he stepped with his right foot. Jaime caught him before he could fall again.

The older boy cursed in Spanish as he tapped the comms. He said, “Kid Flash is injured. I’m taking him back to get help.”

“You don’t have to–” his protests were cut off by Jaime waving for him to shut up.

“Copy that,” Static affirmed. “Sending backup.”

The speedster could hear Superboy grumbling from the other end, but by then he found himself picked up bridal-style by Blue Beetle and flown away from the warehouse. He shivered slightly as the metal touched his skin through the tears in his costume. Mask back on, Jaime looked either mad, exasperated, or worried. Kid Flash concluded it was all of the above. 

“Khaji Da says you have to be more careful,” the older hero chided as they made their way across the flat plains.

The speedster shifted his eyes from the landscape to his friend.

“Careful is my middle name, her-ma-no.”

Under the mask, Blue rolled his eyes.

The movie was a last-minute addition to their evening. After the mission, when everyone showered and Bart got his ankle checked out (broken in two places, but would heal in a day for a speedster, according to Atom and Canary), everyone gathered in the living room. Virgil brought his copy of Groundhog Day and Kon heat-lasered enough popcorn to fill a pickup truck. Cassie brought pillows and electric blankets for everyone and even Tim decided to stay for the fun instead of retreating to the Batcave like usual.

Bart flopped down next to Jaime on the couch, setting aside the crutch Dinah made him use. A bandage wrapped around his arch and up his ankle, with a pawprint Gar doodled earlier. The windows along the walls opened to a sky that Bart couldn’t help think matched Jaime’s costume nicely. Perhaps it’d match better on a clear night, but the incoming storm didn’t make it any less majestic. 

He scooped a handful of popcorn from Jaime’s bowl as the DVD player booted up. Bart threw both his arms and legs around the other teen’s body, sprawled out in the most relaxed, comfortable position he knew.

“Dude, your ankle,” Jaime said.

Bart waved him off. “It’ll be fine.”

The lights dimmed and a hush fell over the room as the film started. It quickly got boring for Bart—the speed was too slow and he wasn’t a movie person to begin with. The redhead quickly made a game of tossing the popcorn and catching it in his mouth. Jaime even joined at one point. They flicked the pieces back and forth until the bowl was empty and they had made a considerable mess around them.

As the credits rolled, people crawled into the bedrolls that Cassie set up. Bart simply snatched a throw blanket nearby and draped it over himself and Jaime;  the latter of which had already conked out. The pair's limbs were too tangled to safely move without waking the other one up." Something like that for the second sentence anyway.

Bart nuzzled into his chest. In one ear, he heard the rolling storm outside. In the other, the steady drum of Jaime’s heartbeat.

He fell asleep to a clap of thunder and lightning tearing a line through the sky.

***

Bart didn’t find it strange that he woke up in his own bed in the morning to the sound of the Garricks working in the kitchen. He figured he probably returned sometime during the night and was too tired to remember. He threw on the first shirt he spotted—the same one from last night, since it still smelled decent—and combed his fingers through his unruly copper locks. 

He glanced out the window. Gray clouds hung overhead, just like yesterday. As long as it wasn’t Weather Wizard back on his nonsense, Bart couldn’t care less.

Sliding down the banister, he was met with the mouth-watering smell of bacon and eggs. Normally the Garricks didn’t repeat the same meal twice in a row, but the boy thought nothing of it as he loaded his plate. 

“Morning, Bart,” Joan greeted cheerfully. “Got any big superhero-ing plans for the day?”

“Yeah,” Bart answered between bites.

The mission waiting for him was top secret, so of course, he told Jay and Joan. 

“We got intel from Martian Manhunter that the Brain is working on this new contraption in his lab. We’re teaming up with the League to totally crash his mode!”

Jay raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were staying at HQ. The League mission is tomorrow.”

Bart laughed. “I think old age is catching up to you, man,” he said teasingly. “That was yesterday.”

Jay shrugged and sipped his coffee. “Must be mistaken.”

“What did one orphan say to the other?”

Bart, who was struggling to open a bag of Chicken Whizees, paused. He glanced around the room, waiting for someone to answer.

When nobody did, he said, “Uh, get in the Batmobile?”

While the rest of the room laughed, Kon looked devastated.

“Not fair!” he exclaimed. “You stole my punchline!”

“No I didn’t,” Bart said, finally getting the bag open. “You told us this joke yesterday.”

“I did?”

“Yeah,” the speedster said.

Cassie interjected, still clutching her side. “I don’t care who told it, that was gold! Right, Timmy?”

Tim replied with a displeased grunt.

“No way I told you guys,” Kon said. “I just came up with it this morning.”

“You definitely did,” Bart said. “Cassie spilled her drink, Tim got a call from Nightwing like right after.”

“Nightwing didn’t call–”

Tim’s phone rang, startling him, making him drop the case file from his hands onto Cassie’s toes. The girl jumped back, only to accidentally dump her glass of orange juice on top of the papers. There was a moment of déjà vu as Tim answered the call and Cassie asked Bart to grab some napkins.

As he returned from the kitchen with a paper towel roll, Bart’s eyes caught a nearby computer. In glowing blue letters, the date on it read:  **June 28th** .

He could’ve  _ sworn _ yesterday was the twenty-eighth. 

When he entered the room, Tim was already speaking to the team. “Nightwing and Batman recently discovered a new Light warehouse and they need us to scope out what’s in it. Wonder Girl, you and I are gonna hack into their servers and see what files we pull up. Superboy, you’re on standby with Miss Martian—she’ll meet us there. Static is at home base. Kid Flash and Blue Beetle, you’re on the perimeter. Stick together, take out any guards. Are we all clear?”

“Hold up,” Bart cut in. “Again?”

Tim narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean ‘again’?”

He replied, “We took care of this yesterday. Light warehouse, you got that really important thumb drive with their crazy new chemical recipes and sent it to the Batcave for analysis. Remember?” 

“Wait, the Light’s making new chemicals?” Kon asked.

“Bart, where are you getting this information?” Tim asked.

“We went over this at yesterday’s debriefing, before the movie.”

“Ooh, a movie sounds like a great idea,” Cassie said. “I’ll ask Virgil if he has anything good.”

Bart looked around the room at everyone who seemed to either not believe him or were messing with him.

“Seriously, Bart, quit screwing around,” Tim said. 

For once, the speedster wasn’t joking. “I’m not kidding! We were all there but I had to bail ‘cause I broke my ankle. Tell ‘em, Blue!”

Jaime, who had headphones in blasting music at full volume, removed one earbud with a quiet, “Hm?”

Bart facepalmed. “Fine, never mind. I’ll get dressed and we’ll do this again because you guys are so insistent.”

In the locker rooms, Tim pulled Bart aside.

“Bart, are you feeling okay?” the third Robin asked. “If not, we can remove you from this mission and find a replacement.”

“I’m crash,” Bart replied. “It’s everyone else who’s acting weird. They’re doing the exact same thing as the characters in last night’s movie.”

“Never took you for a big movie person,” Tim commented.

“I’m not,” he said. “Virgil and Cassie made us all watch it, remember? Come on, you gotta remember. You were there.”

“I was at the Batcave last night,” the other boy said. “Bart, what day is it?”

“Uh, June Twenty-Ninth? But the computers have it wrong. You should fix that.”

Tim snapped his fingers and pointed out of the locker room.

“I think I know what’s happening,” Tim said as they made their way down the hall. “‘Cause I know for a fact today is June Twenty-Eighth. My dad made me go to the dentist.” He said the last part in an embarrassed mumble.

Tim stuck his head in another room and hollered, “Cassie!”

Dressed in her Wonder Girl gear and adjusting the lasso on her belt, Cassie emerged, asking, “What’s up?”

The dark-haired boy answered, “I think Bart’s stuck in a time loop.”

A grin broke out on the girl’s face. She wrapped her arms around Bart, lifting him up and spinning him around with her super strength in a dizzying way.

“That’s amazing!” she squealed. “You have to tell me who it is. Spill.”

“Hang on,” Bart said once she put him down. “What’s happening?”

“You’re gonna fall in love with your soulmate today, duh!” Cassie said. “Have you figured out who it is yet?”

“ _ What? _ ”

Bart looked to his two friends, more confused than ever. 

“Somebody start from the beginning,” the speedster said. “Soulmates? Time loop? What’s going on?”

Tim and Cassie glanced at each other.

“Do you… not have soulmates in the future?” the girl asked. 

Bart thought back. He had heard the word “soulmate” uttered by a few of the older people every now and again. Many mourned the loss of their life partners. Some had told fantastic stories that he couldn’t fathom being a reality. In the Reach apocalypse, survival came first and emotions were at the bottom of everyone’s priority list. To Bart, soulmates were like the Fountain of Youth: too good to be true, but something he yearned for deep down. He wanted to love and be loved as much as he wanted to stay forever young.  Over time, the love and companionship soulmates provided—that nobody in the future got to experience—faded from memory

“I guess not,” he answered. “Most people didn’t live long enough to meet their soulmate. They just settled with someone and made babies as soon as possible before the Reach caught them.”

“Oh, Bart…” Cassie wrapped her arms around him, this time more sisterly.

“You’re not there anymore,” Tim said gently. “You have all the time in the world to find your soulmate.”

Bart coughed. “So, uh, how does this whole soulmate thing work?”

“It’s pretty basic,” Tim explained. “You and your soulmate are stuck reliving the same day until you fall in love. It’s usually already someone you know and see during the time.”

“So you guys are stuck reliving the day with me until I find them and we fall in love?” Bart asked.

“We’ll forget each time,” Cassie added. “You and your soulmate are the only ones who won’t. Just like how you don’t remember it with me and Tim.”

“Wait, that happened? Where was I?” 

“El Paso,” Tim answered. “It was easy for us. I only talked to two people that day and one of them was Kaldur, and he’s taken.”

“It took us over six hundred days to fall in love,” Cassie said. “All because  _ someone _ forgot to take his emotional laxatives.”

Bart couldn’t help but be entertained by the dynamic between his two friends. But he still had one last question.

“So how do you end the loop?”

“Easy,” Tim said. “You both have to say ‘I love you’ and mean it.”

“Wait,” Bart said. “What if I need your help on one of the other days? You guys will just forget everything we talked about.”

“True…” they both murmured. 

Tim tapped his chin, thinking. “How about I tell you something no one else knows, and you can repeat it back to me. That way we can skip the basics and get right to the important stuff,” he suggested.

“Sounds crash,” the speedster said.

He leaned in and Tim whispered something. Bart’s expression shifted from intrigue to mild confusion to pure horror in the span of a few seconds. Indeed, he most definitely was  _ not _ going to forget that one (even though he wanted to now). Cassie watched, stifling a laugh.

“Now,” the bat boy said, “We have a mission to get to.”

“Red wants us to rendezvous at the East–”

Before Blue Beetle could finish his sentence, Kid Flash was already off, shouting, “Race you there!”

As he circled the warehouse, he was secretly glad to be on perimeter patrol. That way he had a clear view of his potential soulmate candidates. His brain rattled off the possibilities.

Immediately, he ruled out all the guards. Too old, too evil. Not his type. The system could stick it if it was one of them.

Obviously it wasn’t the Garricks.

And it wasn’t Red Robin or Wonder Girl either, they already had each other. Same for Superboy and Miss Martian.

He recalled seeing Beast Boy in the medbay the first day. But didn’t he have a girlfriend?

Black Canary had Green Arrow, so she was out too. 

Atom… probably not.

That left him with the only two people he knew who were single and appropriately aged: Static and Blue Beetle.

He hoped it was the latter.

Lost in his thoughts, the speedster didn’t even notice the  _ same rock _ from before.

He tripped. Twisted his ankle. Crashed and burned just like before. And just like before, Blue Beetle landed next to him, ready to bring him home.

The redhead didn’t protest this time, instead fixating on the question of if maybe,  _ just maybe _ , Jaime Reyes could be his soulmate. 

The slumber party was the same. Same people, same movie, same wrapping his body around Jaime’s and falling asleep, and same lightning lines slashing through the sky.

***

“What did–”

“One orphan say to the other? Robin, get in the Batmobile,” Bart finished, unimpressed.

It was the third day of the time loop and he was already getting impatient. This time loop soulmate thing was definitely  _ not _ suited to a speedster.

“So you’ve heard it before?” Kon asked.

“Mhm, you could say that,” Bart replied, catching the glass that Cassie almost spilled whilst laughing anyway.

“Bart, are you feeling okay?” Tim asked (again) in the locker rooms.

“I’m in a time loop,” he said. “We talked about this.”

“We did?”

Bart sighed. “Yes, we did. You and Cassie explained the whole soulmate thing and I think I have an idea who it might be.”

“I don’t remember telling you anything,” Tim said.

“Of course you don’t, that’s how it works,” Bart said. “Here, you told me something to tell you back so you’ll remember.”

He leaned over and whispered something. Tim’s face morphed from curious to shocked at what Bart said.

“Alright, I got it,” the Robin said. “Jeez, I could’ve picked something less…” he trailed off with a lewd gesture. “So who do you think it is?”

Bart checked over his shoulder before saying quietly, “I’ve narrowed it down to Virgil and Jaime. I’m pretty sure it’s Jaime.”

Tim scoffed. “Shocker.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

The other boy rolled his eyes. “You and Blue Beetle are the closest I’ve ever seen two people. Like, closer than Batman and Superman. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him without you or vice versa.”

He had a point, the speedster thought. And the idea of Jaime Reyes being Bart’s soulmate sent little beetles crawling through his stomach in a good way. The sensation was soft and warm, like the boy under the armor.

“So what do I do now?” 

Tim rolled his eyes once more. “Do I have to spell everything out for you? You tell him. Worst that happens, it’s not him and he forgets and you have to start the day again.”

_ “Just tell him,” _ he said to himself. _ “You can do it, right now. Bad guys are taken care of and it’s just the two of you.” _

Kid Flash repeated that in his head as he and Blue Beetle circled the warehouse. He kept his eyes forward, because maybe not looking across at Jaime would make the words come out easier.

_ “You can do this,” _ he told himself.

One glance at Blue Beetle and the speedster realized, _ “No, no I can’t. I can’t do this, I can’t–” _

His foot snagged. He fell and rolled and this time he heard the ear-splitting  _ crack _ of his ankle bone. 

This time, Blue Beetle’s arms were around him before he even came to a stop. Kid Flash thought he heard the other say “not again” but he figured Jaime was just talking to the scarab. 

“You seriously need to be more careful,  _ ese _ ,” Blue Beetle said. “At least watch where you’re running.”

Kid Flash smiled. “Careful is my middle name, her-ma-no.”

Under the mask, Blue Beetle fondly rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation.

Bart’s brain was still buzzing with thoughts as they watched the movie. He finished his popcorn faster, not bothering with the food-tossing games. His body was still entangled with Jaime’s, but it was looser and there was just a tiny bit more distance. He avoided looking at Jaime, because he was afraid he wouldn’t stop staring if he did.

When the movie ended, Bart excused himself, stepping out onto the balcony with the single crutch under his arm. He noticed that it wasn’t actually raining out, rather just a case of dry thunder and lightning. A gale was picking up, still slow enough at this stage though. It blew his hair into his face, reminding him he was in desperate need of a haircut. Leaning against the railing, looking out at the open fields, a thousand and one things ran through his head. 

And they all came back to Jaime.

He pondered whether perhaps soulmates were just the universe's way of constricting its own unbridled chaos. Humans were unpredictable—Bart was walking proof. He wondered if there was an intelligent design behind all of this. A force who looked at, say, the Garricks, and thought they were perfect together and so they did everything in their power to make sure they got together. Whoever was behind it all, seemed to stop at nothing to push together the people it thought belonged together.

Something draped over his shoulders. Bart looked up and met a pair of warm brown eyes. Despite the cold winds, Jaime was wearing only a t-shirt. He could feel the older boy’s body heat and his heart thudded so fast he felt like it was going to burst out of his rib cage.

“What are you doing out here?  _ Hace frío _ .”

_ “This is it,” _ Bart thought to himself.  _ “Now’s your chance. Tell him how you feel.” _

Right as he opened his mouth, a flash of lightning cut through the sky.

***

_ “Today’s the day. I’m gonna tell him.” _

At least, that was what Bart told himself. But then two days turned into three, and then into five. Before he knew it, it had been a full week since the time loop had started.

Bart liked Jaime. He really, really liked Jaime. But every time he opened his mouth to tell him, his throat grew increasingly dry and any courage he had mustered faded into the pits of self-doubt and apprehension. 

“What did one orphan say to the other?”

Bart suppressed the urge to groan because  _ holy buckets was this joke getting old _ .

This time, it was Cassie who said, “What?”

“Robin, get in the Batmobile!”

The room erupted. Cassie knocked over her drink, this time right on top of Tim’s case files. Bart got her paper towels. Then Tim got the call from his brother and they were back in the locker rooms for the same mission again.

The one thing Bart asked for this time around was to not trip and break his ankle again, because it did not hurt less with each time, contrary to what some would think.

“Did you know there’s a town in Pennsylvania that’s been on fire for sixty years straight?” Kid Flash said as he speed-punched a guard. “It’s because of this coal mine that hasn’t stopped burning.”

“ _ Ese _ , focus!” Blue Beetle said, firing his sonic cannon at a group of bad guys.

“Focus is my middle name.”

The speedster turned towards the gunfire. They moved in slow motion as he vibrated until he was no longer solid. They passed through him like darts whizzing through the air.

“See,” Kid Flash said, arms outstretched. “Completely focused. I–”

A last bullet tore past his costume, through where his shoulder met his collarbone. Instinctively, he covered the spot with his hand.

“BART!”

He heard the sound of bone cracking as Blue Beetle landed a rock-solid hit on the shooter. Kid Flash fell to his knees, clutching the spot as it stained the yellow costume a dark crimson. He could already feel his flesh repairing around the shrapnel.

A pair of arms lifted him up and the speedster didn’t even question as they took to the skies. Blue Beetle said something to the others, and Kid Flash vaguely registered Miss Martian’s concern from the other end.

He lifted his hand slightly. The sight of blood normally didn’t bother him, but that was only if it wasn’t his. He closed his eyes to keep from looking again, sick to his stomach from the sight.

Kid Flash wondered for a second if he had fallen asleep, or if Blue Beetle flew faster than usual because their landing seemed too soon. The younger boy opened one eye as Jaime laid him on the soft sands and retracted his armor. 

“Why’d we stop?” the speedster asked.

Jaime took off his shirt, revealing the scarab underneath. He pressed the cloth to the wound. The younger one clenched his teeth.

The scarab chirped. Jaime said, “Khaji Da says we need to remove the bullet right now, before your speed healing fully kicks in. Otherwise, your body will repair over it by the time we get back to HQ.”

Bart removed his goggles to see the other boy better.

Jaime whispered something over his shoulder before turning back to him. 

“This is gonna hurt,” he said, “but I need you to stay really still. Just focus on me. Can you do that?” Jaime took Bart’s hand and squeezed reassuringly.

Bart nodded and squeezed back.

A tendril extended from Jaime’s back with a metal pincer on the end, like an alligator clip. 

Bart screamed as it dug into his flesh, wiggling around trying to find the tiny bullet, burning like a Molotov cocktail. Large droplets fell from his eyes, making clay of the dry sand.

Jaime gently stroked Bart’s hair, whispering, “ _ Tranquilo, tranquilo _ . It’ll be okay,  _ mi alma gemela _ .”

Bart nodded, trusting Jaime a hundred percent, even if he couldn’t understand half the words.

Jaime continued talking, and it made for the perfect distraction. “I gotta say, you outdid yourself,  _ hermano _ . I thought you were just gonna break your ankle like all the other times.”

A breath caught in Bart’s throat. “You’re…”

He yelped. The armor dropped a metal shell onto the ground and retracted back to its usual state.

“Stay still,  _ ese _ ,” Jaime said as he continued to press the wadded-up shirt to the bleeding wound. “And yes, I knew the whole time.”

Bart winced. “How’d you figure it out? That it was… that it was you and me?”

The older boy cracked a smile. “You kinda spazzed out big time that first day,  _ recuerdas _ ? And if we’re being honest, I’ve liked you for a while now.”

Bart propped himself up on one elbow despite Jaime trying to force him to lie down.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked. “You actually had me thinking it was Virgil for a hot sec. And, like, he’s crash and all but not as much as you.”

Jaime laughed and it was the most beautiful thing Bart had ever heard. 

He armored up and carefully picked the speedster up, saying, “Let’s get you back to HQ first, okay?”

***

The next night—after a mission where, surprisingly, nobody got hurt—Bart tugged Jaime aside as everyone else gathered in front of the TV with their sleeping bags.

“Hey, Blue, what d’you say we get outta here?” Bart asked. “We’ve only seen this movie seven times now. It’ll be eight if we stay.”

Jaime sighed in relief. “ _ Gracias a Díos _ , I was hoping you’d say that. I’m sick of it too.”

“Yeah, it’s as old as Kon’s Batmobile joke,” he said. “I know just the place. Race you there!”

Not caring that he was in his civvies, Bart zipped off in a blur of red and white. In the corner of his eye, he watched Jaime’s wings unfold. Armored to his neck, Jaime quickly caught up (though, it was  largely due to the fact that Bart was running slower intentionally ). They crossed the wide-open field and passed the storm clouds until they were just faint gray lines on the horizon. 

As they arrived in an all-too-familiar desert with shimmering, crystal clear skies, Bart slowed down just a little to let Jaime take the victory. He giggled when the older boy blew a raspberry like a sore winner.

“How’s the weather up there?” Bart shouted, “And while you’re at it, find us a decent spot. I don’t want sand in my buttcrack again.”

Jaime playfully flipped him the finger. He circled around a couple of times before settling on a smooth, flat boulder. Bart joined a split second later.

He wasn’t sure which enamored him more: the endless sparkling expanse of the Milky Way or Jaime Reyes.

Definitely Jaime, he decided.

His soulmate.

His best friend.

Bart tentatively placed his hand on top of Jaime’s. The latter quickly armored down. Both were blushing. Jaime glanced away sheepishly while Bart stared on.

“ _ Aquí es hermoso _ ,” the older one commented. “It’s beautiful out here.”

Bart hummed in agreement, not taking his eyes off of Jaime.

The speedster asked, “If you knew from the beginning, why didn’t you say anything?”

Jaime looked from Bart to their linked hands to the ground.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, “I didn’t want to force you into something you weren’t into. Because if I were you, the last person I’d want as a soulmate would be Blue Beetle.”

“Jaime…” Bart placed a hand on the other teen’s face. 

Jaime went on. “I know you’re gonna say I’m not him but that doesn’t change the fact that a version of me hurt you in ways you won’t even tell me because it was just that bad and–”

Bart had heard enough. 

He surged forward. Static electricity filled the air the moment their lips touched. The kiss was lightning fast and sent a tingle down his spine, but the split second which it had struck packed a voltage like nothing the speedster had ever experienced before.

When Bart pulled back, Jaime pushed forward, like the tide pulling towards the moon. They met again. This time, he let the older boy take the lead. Jaime’s kisses came in waves, ebbing and flowing. Bart savored the taste of the older boy’s strawberry chapstick as their lips rolled over each other. All his senses were overwhelmed and a tiny moan escaped his lips.

But he was impatient. The tables turned again. He tackled Jaime to the ground. Unlike the cool-headed Beetle, the speedster didn’t want to slow down. Time was of the essence. Any moment now, their night would end and they’d be back at square one. Bart wanted to protest as Jaime fought back for control. The kisses went back and forth, as if trying to prove themselves right to the other. 

Eventually, Jaime sped up the pace and Bart gave into the steady rhythm of the kiss. The younger began to sink into the older boy's hands until they met in the middle, like the storm meeting the sea on the horizon.

As soon as they separated, the clear night clouded over and there was a flash.

***

By the time they hit the two-week mark, both Bart and Jaime agreed they were not listening to any more Batmobile jokes or going on the same reconnaissance mission again.

“There’s a horror convention in Gotham,” Jaime said. “We could go there.”

Bart snorted. “That entire city is a horror convention, but sure, why not.”

That was how, after a quick trip to a cheap costume store, the two found themselves among a bunch of other horror fanatics at the theater. Hand in hand, Bart went around sniffing out all the snacks and occasionally shedding some hair from his itchy werewolf costume while Jaime followed, vampire cape swishing and creating a trip hazard for other civilians. Well, they couldn’t find a vampire cape, so a Batman one was a close second.

As Bart wolfed down his third bag of gummy worms, Jaime read the pamphlet.

“If we go right now, we can catch Frankenstein showing upstairs,” Jaime said.

“Sounds crash,” Bart replied. “Got any more money? I’m all out of candy.”

The older boy sighed fondly as he reached for his wallet.

The movie had only been playing for fifteen minutes, yet the speedster was already terrified by the black-and-white images on the screen. He wasn’t a movie person before, but this sealed the deal.

“Ifthiswasawaytogetmetoholdontoyouit’sworking,” Bart whispered as his nails dug into Jaime’s arm.

“No,” the other whispered back, “that’s just a bonus.”

He yelped as another bolt of lightning flashed across the ginormous screen. Burying his face in Jaime’s shirt, Bart focused on steadying his breathing.

_ “It’s just a movie,” _ he told himself.  _ “It’s not real lightning. The day’s not over. Blue’s right here.” _

Another voice in his mind spoke, taunting him,  _ “It’ll be over soon. You’ll wake up all alone again.” _

_ “I’ll just meet up with Jaime.” _

_ “What if he doesn’t want to?” _

_ “He does. We’re soulmates. He’s my best friend.” _

_ “You never know. He could change his mind the next time around.” _

His breath quickened and arms tightened around Jaime as he muttered to himself, “Shutupshutupshutup.”

Jaime’s expression shifted to that of worry. “ _ Cariño _ , are you okay?”

Bart shook his head, squeezing harder, shaking like a chihuahua. 

“I don’t want today to end,” he whimpered. “I don’t wanna be alone.”

The older boy wrapped his arms around the speedster. “As long as I’m around, you’ll never be alone,  _ cariño _ .”

Bart nodded and nuzzled closer.

***

“You got a little strawberry right there,  _ querido _ ,” said Jaime. 

“Huh?” Bart paused mid-lick of his ice cream cone.

“Don’t worry, I got it.” 

Jaime leaned forward and stole yet another quick peck. 

Bart giggled. “Just how many times have you done that today?”

The older boy pretended to think. “Mm… not enough.”

This time, Jaime placed a hand on Bart’s face and pulled him in for a real kiss.

***

“What did one orphan say to the other? Robin, get in the Batmobile!”

This time, Bart and Jaime joined in the laughter. 

As much as they enjoyed each other’s company, it was only a matter of time before they started missing all their other friends. Even if they had to endure Kon’s bad joke and Cassie’s spills and Tim… being Tim. 

As they held hands under the table, Bart glanced at Jaime, as if telepathically asking, “When should we tell them?”

Of course, soulmates didn’t actually have that mental connection. It’d be cool though.

Jaime gave a small nod. Bart stood up. Normally, people were nervous about this kind of stuff. In a sense, they were hitting two birds with one stone: coming out and announcing their relationship to the people they cared about the most. But, given they were in a time loop where everyone would forget anyway, Bart viewed this as a practice run.

“Guys,” he called their attention. “Blue and I have something to tell you.”

Everyone turned to him. Even Tim put down his phone.

Bart held up their linked hands. 

“We’re officially together,” he said. “Soulmates.”

There was a beat of silence before the room erupted. Cassie squealed as she pulled both boys into a lung-crushing hug. Tim muttered an “I told you so” as Kon searched his jacket for his wallet. 

“I’m so happy for you!” Cassie said. “So tell us, how long did it take?”

Bart and Jaime glanced at each other nervously.

“Uh… it’s been twenty-two days,” Bart said. 

_ So far _ , he mentally added.

“See, Tim, this is how you do it,” she said loudly in her boyfriend’s direction. “Take notes.”

Tim grunted. “The only thing I’m taking notes on are these files Batman and Nightwing sent me. Everyone, suit up. It’s mission time.”

After the mission, and after Bart had almost broken his ankle again because Blue Beetle was so handsomely distracting, Tim yanked the younger boy aside by the collar.

“Hey, easy on the shirt,” Bart said. “It’s Jaime’s, plus it cost five whole dollars.”

“Look,” Tim said, “I know you do things fast but I’ll be damned if it actually took only three weeks. So what’s going on?”

“What makes you think something’s going on?” he asked.

“You’re one of my closest friends,” the other boy said. “I can tell when you’re hiding something.”

Bart made a show of a fake-innocent shrug. Tim’s eyes narrowed under the domino mask.

“You’re still in the time loop.” It was a statement, not a question.

“So?” he scoffed. 

“You love him, don’t you?”

Bart couldn’t understand how Tim could even ask such a question. Love was an understatement. Whenever he was around Jaime, all he could think of was how lucky he was that the universe had chosen them to be together.

“Of course I do,” he answered.

“Then why don’t you tell him?”

Because it seemed too soon. Because he hated the idea of moving on. Because he wanted to keep reliving the same day, having different dates and adventures with full immunity from repercussion, not thinking about duties or expectations. 

He picked the most generic non-answer. “‘Cause what if he doesn’t feel the same?”

Tim stared at Bart as if he’d officially lost it.

“Seriously?” the former Robin asked incredulously. “I’m not the greatest at feelings, but even I can tell how much he cares. Jaime looks at you the way you look at Chicken Whizees.”

Though Bart already knew that, he nodded and pretended to listen anyway.

***

Jaime said it first on the thirty-third day. 

Bart almost didn’t hear it, not with the older boy’s face buried in his hair.

“ _ Te amo _ .”

His heart stopped.

When it started again, Bart replied weakly, “Crash.”

***

Three days after, Bart awoke from a nap to a message reading:

**I’ll be there at 6:30, wear something nice.**

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sent back a thumbs up followed by a flurry of heart emojis, each in a separate text. Bart could already picture Jaime’s eye-roll and it brought a smile to his face.

That was sent two hours ago, and it was 6:25. Bart raced through his closet like a tornado. What to wear, what to wear. Jaime said something nice, but what kind of nice? Casual nice? Party nice? Taking-over-the-world-as-its-new-kings nice?

He ended up putting on one of the pressed dress shirts—the scarlet one—black slacks, and a satin tie that Joan and Iris made him buy. He managed to find the comb he thought he had lost and do a once-over with his messy orange locks. 

_ Ding-dong _ .

Bart tossed the comb in a drawer and zipped downstairs.

He thanked the heavens that he had gotten the right definition of “nice looking”. Jaime stood before him, his outfit matched but with a navy blue shirt instead. His sleeves rolled up to his elbows and he was wearing Alberto’s vintage wristwatch. The ensemble hugged his physique in all the right places. They stared at each other, an awed silence hanging in the air.

“You look… you look amazing,” Bart stuttered, though his comment was an understatement. 

“Funny,” Jaime replied, cheeks pinkening, “I was gonna say the same thing. Er, to you, I mean. About how you look. Which is amazing.”

From behind his back, the older boy drew a bouquet of red carnations mingled with white rain flowers—two of Bart’s favorites, though he didn’t recall having told anybody.

“ _Para ti,_ _mi alma gemela_.”

“This is all sweet,” Bart said, “but what’s the occasion?”

Jaime answered, “The occasion is that I love you.”

There it was again. The L-word. The “loop-breaker”, as Bart dubbed it. 

Jaime tilted the speedster’s chin up in a chaste kiss before he stated, “I have the perfect night planned for just the two of us.”

Jaime was right; everything was perfect. 

When they talked and took turns stealing soft pecks at dinner, Bart felt like a giddy school child. When they walked through the park together, Bart felt like he was in a fairytale. When they danced to the music on Jaime’s phone, it was like floating on a cloud.

Then there was the kiss.

It wasn’t like that first one in the desert long ago, the one that had turned heated so quickly. It wasn’t like the cheeky strawberry-flavored ones. Nor was it like any of the countless kisses in between.

Fiery orange painted the sky, making dark lines of the rain clouds that were approaching. A breeze blew, ruffling both of their shirts. They pulled closer to stay warm, and Bart could smell the faint scent of cinnamon on his boyfriend. On the hilltop, it was just the two of them, noses brushing as they felt each other’s warm breaths.

They met in the middle. Lips danced like an upbeat waltz. A shiver ran down Bart’s spine and a blaze kindled in his chest. His hands traveled to the nape of Jaime’s neck, and Jaime’s hands rested on his waist. It was almost like they fit together; it being their only purpose in the world. 

All was well until Jaime said it again.

“I love you.”

A whisper, a vibration against Bart’s lips.

He almost said it back. 

There was nothing in the world he wanted more. Bart wanted to scream it from the rooftops and keeping it inside made him sick to his core. It felt like the most morally heinous act he could commit.

But was he willing to break their streak? Risk ending their carefree adventures? Was he ready to let go of this Fountain of Youth?

Bart abruptly pushed away.

“I’m sorry, Jaime.  _ Igottago _ .”

“Bart, wait–”

The speedster was already off, zigzagging across the park, taking shortcuts through god-knows-where. The tie was suffocating him, so Bart undid it and let it fly away in the wind. He needed to get out, needed to find someplace quiet to think. He couldn’t do that with Jaime around. 

Jaime, who was sweet and kindhearted and made Bart melt just by entering the room.

Jaime, who stayed by his side.

Jaime, who didn’t deserve any of the secrets that the speedster so desperately clung onto.

_ “Oomph!” _

His leg snagged against a scraggly tree root. It twisted and cracked. Only this time, instead of rolling several feet, he was stuck. Like,  _ stuck _ stuck. Phasing through wasn’t an option because how could he vibrate what he couldn’t move or feel? Calling for help was out too—his phone had landed too far out of his reach. Bart had no idea where he was. There were signs or roads; he was off the beaten path. The trees cast shadows like fingers trying to grab at him. In the distance, a wolf howled. Not even the light of the moon could guide his way; it was covered by storm clouds.

He tugged and tugged, and yet all he managed to do pull up his pant leg. Bart gagged as a sliver of bone pierced his skin, like _ “No, go back, you’re not supposed to be here” _ . 

A strangled sob escaped his throat and hot tears began to roll down his face.

_ Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid. _

None of this would’ve happened if he wasn’t so stubborn and immature. He should’ve just said, “I love you too”.

Rain pounded down relentlessly, drenching him almost immediately. Bart sneezed, but he couldn’t hear it over the deafening thunderclap. 

He gave up. Struggling clearly wasn’t going to do him any good. Worst case scenario, he’d have to wait a couple hours before starting the day over again. 

And the best-case scenario?

That question answered itself seconds later.

Blue Beetle landed like a meteor. Water and wet leaves splashed in his wake. The helmet retracted. 

Jaime knelt beside Bart and gently caressed his face. The speedster only cried more, because now his boyfriend had to clean up his mess  _ again _ . Jaime deserved so much better.

“Shh,  _ tranquilo, mi amor _ ,” Jaime murmured, sounding close to tears himself. “ _ Estoy aquí _ . You don’t have to do this alone.”

As the bug suit sawed through the wood with one of its tendrils, the older boy continued. “If it’s something I did, I’m so, so sorry. I thought tonight could fix it ‘cause you’ve been acting weird and distant these past few days. I should’ve just asked you what was going on.”

Bart took Jaime’s hand in both of his. “It’s not your fault, babe. It’s all mine. I was too immature and stubborn to say I love you.”

“But… why?” Jaime asked. 

Bart yelped as the scarab tossed the wood aside and started to work on the injury. He squeezed the other boy’s hand like his life depended on it.

“Ididn’twantthetimelooptoend’causeIwashavingsomuchfunwithyouandIdon’twannagobacktothemodedrealworld,” he said in a single breath.

“ _ Cariño _ ,” Jaime breathed, taken aback. “I–”

Bart screamed as the metal tendril forced his bone back into place. Jaime wrapped his arms around the speedster, who quickly buried his face in the armor. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Jaime repeated. “I’m right here.”

Bart whimpered as the scarab produced a bandage and tightened it around the wound. His speed healing was already at work, but that didn’t make it painless.

“I love you, Jaime,” Bart confessed, between tears and sniffles. “I love you. I love you IloveyouIloveyou.”

“ _ También te amo _ ,” Jaime replied. “And Bart, what we have won’t end with today. The real world isn’t so scary when you have someone by your side. Whatever happens, we’re in this together.”

Bart nodded, trusting every last word.

Lightning flashed above their heads.

***

Bart opened his eyes to sunlight streaming through the blinds. It shined brighter than he last remembered, highlighting every speck of dust that hung idly in the air. Wrapped around him from behind was a pair of warm, sturdy arms. Jaime’s face nuzzled into him. Each breath tickled the back of the speedster’s neck. Around his leg was a makeshift cast, just for the few days it took him to heal a broken bone.

Next to him, the clock read:  **June 29th** .

He turned over and gently shook his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“Babe,” he whispered. “It’s over. It’s the twenty-ninth.”

Jaime opened a bleary eye and checked his phone. “Huh, what do you know? It is.”

The two laid there, not speaking, as they took it all in for the first time. Neither wanted to move, perfectly content with their limbs tangled together.

Jaime broke the silence first.

He said, “The rest of the world is waiting for us.”

Bart shrugged. “Let them wait.”


End file.
